Driver assistance systems for vehicles are fundamentally known from the prior art. In particular, systems are known in which image data from the vehicle surroundings are detected by means of one or more vehicle cameras arranged on the vehicle, the detected image data are processed by means of a control device and different driver assistance functions are implemented as a function of the image processing.
The process of detecting image data from the vehicle surroundings lying in front of the vehicle by means of a front camera, i.e. a vehicle camera preferably arranged in the vehicle interior behind the windscreen and oriented in the direction of the surroundings in front of the vehicle, of processing the image data and of implementing driver assistance functions such as, by way of example, lane assist, traffic sign recognition, lighting control and object or respectively obstacle detection, is known by way of example.
Likewise, the process of detecting image data from the rear area behind the vehicle by means of a reversing camera, i.e. a vehicle camera arranged, by way of example, on the rear of a vehicle, of processing the image data and of implementing driver assistance functions in order to support the vehicle operator during reversing, by way of example displaying the rear vehicle surroundings, the vehicle trajectory as a function of the steering angle or the distance from obstacles, is known.
It is known that so-called signal processors, in particular so-called digital signal processors (DSP), are used for the image processing and programming codes required to implement or respectively execute the driver assistance functions. The image data detected by a vehicle camera can, in this case, be processed with the digital signal processor, using suitable programming codes which are stored—together with the signal processor as well as further components—by way of example, in a memory arranged in a control device and, depending on the result of this processing, the driver assistance system can electronically actuate an extremely wide range of components of the vehicle—for example with the aid of a microcontroller which is likewise arranged in the control device.
Up to now, if only one central control device is used by a plurality of vehicle cameras for implementing different driver assistance functions, multiple signal processors have accordingly been arranged in the central control device. In this case, each signal processor serves to process the video signals of one of the vehicle cameras.